“Un- and underemployment will rise. There's a perfect storm for increased unemployment: returning
vets, boomers that can't afford to retire, 12 million illegal immigrants now
eligible for legal employment, a sluggish economy here and worldwide, relative
strength in China, people-replacing technology such as voice and pattern
recognition, slowed hiring by government, and increased payroll costs of hiring
Americans (e.g. Obamacare, paid family leave, rising workers compensation
costs, etc.). Unemployment will thus rise and part-time and temp work become
the new normal. And ever more work will be offshored to low-cost countries now
that American companies are learning how to work more successfully with a
remote workforce.”

The media has a nasty habit of projecting a
bleak outlook, but because of the way we earn our living (and I have been doing these things since 2003), we don’t necessarily
agree with this projection. Sure, on the surface the state of the economy isn't looking that great, but it doesn't mean we are all helpless and doomed. We are living in the digital information age, where
most Americans own a mobile phone with internet access, have a home computer
with internet access, and the common person can access the internet 24 hours a
day. Communication technology continues to progress and goods and services are
just a click away. There are many legitimate ways to earn money from home using the computer - and teens and college-aged kids can do a lot of them easily.

The internet offers endless
opportunities for the average unskilled person to make money. You don’t need a
degree in computer programming or graphic design to interact with millions of people
online every day. You just need to learn what people are willing to pay for and
give it to them. (Or at least test your ideas, put them out on the internet,
and see if people respond.) Based on what I see working with clients every day, the income-producing potential of the internet is a vast untapped resource. The internet is highly underutilized as a source of income for young
people, many of whom are struggling to find minimum wage jobs in their
communities.

This book is
geared towards teenagers and college students who are naturally more internet and
computer savvy than their parents and grandparents, who have lived in the
digital age all of their lives, and whose future will include technological advances
we can’t even imagine.

If you do not have a Kindle reader, you may still be able to read the book using one of several kindle apps. Click here to see a list of Kindle apps , including the Kindle reader that can be installed on your desktop computer.
I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the Kindle community.

If you are a teenager or young adult, or the parent of a young person interested in finding ways to make extra money using the internet, this book is for you. Get your copy today!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

One area that I get many questions about is international shipping. Shipping to other areas of the world could be lucrative for eBay sellers. You would be surprised at the items many sellers are shipping to buyers in other countries around the world. If you are looking to take your eBay business to the next level and have not reached out to buyers in other countries, you may want to look into it.
On top of reading my articles about international shipping, you may want to register for this webinar. DYMO Endicia and Forrester Research are teaming up to offer the FREE webinar. “Demystifying International Shipping – From Australia to Zimbabwe” will be presented on Tuesday, December 26 at 1pm EST/10am PST.
The webinar, presented by Zia Daniell Wigder, will cover these topics:

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I love getting success stories from other sellers. There are so many items out there that are thrown away or donated that others simply treasure. I recently got this email from Denise McNabb:

I just purchased a nice Skywriter typewriter at my local thrift store. I paid just $4.00 and sold it for $99.50. I did throw in free shipping but this ended up selling to a customer in Canada so that added $27 to my expenses.
Love your site. I've been selling on eBay since 1997. I always look for new items to resell and recently retired from teaching, 31 years in the profession, now I'm ready to move on to selling full time on eBay and Amazon. Thanks for all you do for your readers.

Here is a screenshot of the closed listing for the 1957 Smith Corona Typewriter:

Even with the additional shipping costs, Denise profited nicely on this sale. Vintage items are great sellers on eBay. (This is a list of vintage items that usually go well on eBay.)
Thank you, Denise, for sharing this eBay Seller Success Story! Click here to visit Denise’s Good Bye Antiques Shop on eBay.
Do you have a great sale or an interesting eBay item to share? Send your find to eBaycoach@yahoo.com for consideration.

Friday, February 8, 2013

It may seem that this blog concentrates on only eBay and Amazon with an occasional mention of Etsy. Those happen to be the sites that I (and my many of this blog’s readers) sell on mostly. Of course, there are other outlets and this list continues to grow. If you are looking for other outlets to sell your items and reach other buyers, then keep reading.

While it may be easy to sell on only one outlet, remember there may be other buyers out there that are looking for what you have to sell. Not every buyer uses eBay. Amazon is not always the first site other buyers check.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

It was just a few years ago (2011) when Amazon closed its Dallas-based fulfillment center due to a disagreement over state taxes. Now it appears that Texas and Amazon have reconciled. Amazon has just announced that it will be opening three new fulfillment centers in Texas in the upcoming months.
Amazon has recently changed its opinion on state tax collection in other states (including New Jersey, California , and Pennsylvania). With the opportunity to move into these states, Amazon opened more than 20 new fulfillment centers in 2012. The three in Texas will add an additional 3.3 million square feet of warehouse space. The new locations will be:

• Schertz (near San Antonio)
1.2 Million square feet
Will handle large items

• Coppell (near Dallas)
1 Million square feet
Will handle large items

• Haslet (also near Dallas)
1.1 Million square feet
Will handle smaller items like books, small electronics and DVDs

Having more fulfillment centers helped Amazon dropping the amount of shipping costs within its yearly budget. In 2011, the shipping costs for the holiday season covered 5.4% of Amazon’s budget for that quarter. In 2012, the amount for that same time period was only 4.5%.

Not only will the state benefit from the taxes collected, the three locations are projecting to hire more than 1000 workers (and this number will most likely increase dramatically during the holiday seasons).

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I have often spoken of the popularity of vintage items. I have talked about vintage cookbooks, dinnerware, even telephones. Who knew that level of popularity would carry over into personal care items, as well!

An eBay Seller recently sold vintage StayFree Maxi and Mini pads. The set of three, unopened boxes from 1985 and 1990 of various types sold for a rather high profit. A screenshot of the closed auction is below:

No, your eyes do not deceive you. After 36 bids, the set sold for a whopping $199.51. Included in the sale was:

10 Unscented Mini Pads (1990)

12 Super Maxi Pads (1985)

12 Deodorant Maxi Pads (1985)

It goes to show you that vintage items (no matter the category) can be great sellers! Now, what do you have laying around in your basement/attic/closet that you can list?

Friday, February 1, 2013

If you are a member of the Facebook group, then you saw many of the members post their sales numbers for the month of December. With Amazon continuing to grow by leaps and bounds and eBay making more changes to help compete with sites like Amazon, online selling is a great way to create income. It is never too late to start. Over the next few months, I will be sharing tips and ideas to help prepare you for success. Many of these are simple things that Here are a few things you can do to get ready for the upcoming season:

1. Create a (social) media frenzy
If you are not using social media to help market your online store, you should start. If you use Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest for personal posts, consider peppering in a few posts that market your store to your network. If you wish to open new accounts, try to name them as close to the name of your store as possible. Include your logo or a common picture on every profile. Doing so helps you create a brand. Your buyers will begin to recognize you and become interested in what you are offering. Remember not to flood your followers or friends with your store information. Post a few times a week. Make sure you mix some posts that show your personality with the posts that share your store or listing information. Also, start following others. Often they return the favor and their followers may find you through that connection. To make this a successful venture, make sure you set up a plan or schedule for staying in front of your fans and followers.
2. Consider new wholesale partnerships
Take the opportunity while sales are not overwhelming you to look at possibly using wholesale partnerships. If you are already a reseller for a company or two (or more), look at expanding your line to include a new supplier. This is the perfect time to try them out. Watch how they deliver, monitor their customer service, and take the time to review their product offerings in depth. Look for product and company reviews online. If this is a new venture for you and you don’t know what to sell, take a look at things you would buy. Find things that you know about.
3. Consider selling St. Patrick Day items
Increase your income for future product sourcing by selling items for St. Patrick’s Day. Many people go all out for this holiday and are always looking for unique items that feature the holiday. If you are planning to sell by Amazon, you may want to get those items in quickly! If you are selling by eBay, there is no time like the present to start listing them!

Even if getting ready for Holiday 2013 is not your current goal. These tips can help you become successful.

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